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Argument: American public is ambivalent about 2009 US stimulus plan
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Brian Wesbury. "Unemployment and Stimulus". The American Spectator. February 6th, 2009 - "the American people are on board [with the stimulus plan] – sort of. 'They're all over the map,' said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. 'The way I would characterize what the public view is they know something has to be done, they're not quite sure what should be done,' Smith said. [...] A national Diageo/Hotline Poll shows 54 percent of registered voters favor the more than $800 billion stimulus package backed by President Barack Obama even if it means increasing the federal deficit. [...] Yet when the same poll asked voters if they thought the package of spending and tax cuts would be spent and managed wisely, 14 percent said they were 'very confident' it would. Twelve percent said they were 'very confident' the stimulus package would be effective in turning around the economy. [...] For voters to hold such disparate views is not uncommon, said Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, a political scientist who studies public opinion and voter behavior at the University of Nebraska. [...] 'It's like people often have the desire for lower taxes and more government services,' she said."
